e n i z a g a 3 M 1 ’ 0 s 2 n r o e r t b a m e e P v u o c s , N e 1 R - 8 r . i o s A e n s i u s w s S I 1414 Question time “Quality is our highest priority” Missions in Switzerland When fate strikes twice News Emergency numbers 14 14a nd +41 333 333 333 Contents Question time 4 “Quality is our highest priority” Missions abroad 6 Disaster just around the corner Missions in Switzerland 10 When fate strikes twice 6 News 14 Emergency numbers 1414 and +41 333 333 333 Illustration 16 Rega’s brand new Operations Centre Inside Rega 18 Nature sets our limits In brief 20 News from Rega 10 Children’s corner 25 Spot the ten differences & competition Review 26 Safari – attack – Rega From the archives 28 Hermann Geiger – aviation pioneer with a heart Guest page 14 30 Bertrand Piccard: Exploration in the 21 st century Prevention 31 Getting through the winter safely 28 Cover: 0844 834 844 Rega’s “heart”: the new Operations Centre. Emergency calls are received Service number for patrons here from both within Switzerland How to contact Rega: see page 32 and abroad Editorial 3 Dear patrons Publication Providing medical emergency assistance by air to Rega Patrons’ Magazine 1414 people in distress: for decades, your support has Issue no. 81/November 2013 Published twice a year enabled us to fulfi l this challenging yet rewarding task. Total circulation: 1.75 million We achieve this by using highly qualifi ed rescue Publisher personnel and the best material and equipment Rega Communication currently available on the market. PO Box 1414 8058 Zurich Airport However, this stance is increasingly being called www.rega.ch Postal account 80-637-5 into question. What equipment is necessary and to what extent should a round-the-clock standby service Editorial team Sascha Hardegger, editor-in-chief be available? Is a rescue hoist absolutely essential or Ariane Güngerich, managing editor is it too expensive? Is it really necessary to guarantee Philipp Keller, picture editor Karin Hörhager constant contact with the Operations Centre, or could Wanda Pfeifer this be dispensed with? In short, how high should the Additional contributors benchmark be set? Recently, criticism has been voiced Federica Mauri about our costs and staff remuneration; perhaps Walter Stünzi you have followed the discussions in the media. The Photos Swiss Conference of Cantonal Health Directors is also Rega Photo Archive (pp. 8, 11, 13, 18, examining the fi eld of air rescue. The Chairman 19, 31, 32) Philipp Keller (pp. 4, 19, 26) of Rega’s Foundation Board, Ulrich Graf, comments Jacques-André Dévaud (p. 11) on these and other current topics on the following Markus Rieder (p. 18) Dominik Orth (pp. 1, 2, 14, 15) double page. Martin Rindlisbacher (p. 3) Massimo Pedrazzini (pp. 7, 8) In this respect, Rega is like an iceberg. Only a small HSR (p. 23) part – the helicopters and jets in operation – is visible. Friedli Engesser (pp. 2, 28) Other (pp. 2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, Most of it lies hidden under the surface. For example, Rega Foundation Board 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32) its smoothly functioning Operations Centre – nobody Ulrich Graf*, Chairman, Bäch Franz Steinegger*, Production sees it, but it plays a vital role for every mission. Vice-Chairman, Flüelen tutto fatto, Zurich Or a stable radio network, which also bridges the dead Michael Hobmeier*, Bäch Christian Kern*, Prof. Dr. med., Design zones in the Alps where there is no reception. Geneva Triple-X, Werner Blättler, Zurich Inconspicuous, unspectacular, yet essential – and Patrizia Pesenti*, Breganzona Paul Maximilian Müller, Berne Print/Prepress absolutely indispensable for every mission. Adrian Frutiger, PD Dr. med., Swissprinters, Zurich We are all in agreement that air rescue should be Trimmis Roland Müller, Prof. Dr. iur., Reprints permitted with sources swift, effi cient and of top quality – but also affordable. Staad indicated And that is exactly what Rega offers. There is no Andreas Berger, Dr. med., Merlischachen conceivable reason to question our tried-and-tested Bruno Jelk, Zermatt principles. Rega offers the Swiss population not only Heidi Hanselmann, Walenstadt minimal, but also optimal emergency medical care. Thomas P. Emmerich, Riehen Marco Maggiorini, Prof. Dr. med., And to come back to the question of the benchmark: Schindellegi we are talking about people in emergency situations, Adrian Amstutz, Schwanden Josef Meier, Wettingen therefore the benchmark cannot be set high enough. Markus Mader, Swiss Red Cross Representative, Berne (* Member of the Executive Yours sincerely Committee) Management Board Ernst Kohler, CEO/Chairman of the Management Board Roland Albrecht, Dr. med., Ernst Kohler, Medical Director Andreas Lüthi, CEO/Chairman of the Management Board Chief Financial Officer 4 Question time Interview with Ulrich Graf, Chairman of the Rega Foundation Board “Quality is our highest priority” Mr Graf, Rega has faced a great deal of criticism from various quarters over the last few months. Has Rega made mistakes? In material terms, we’ve done everything right. The patronage contributions are consistently used to deliver high quality to our patients. That is the yardstick by which we are measured, and we can’t be accused of any wrongdoing in that respect. In terms of communication, we may have held back too long and engaged in too little plain talking. Rega is dispensing with ZEWO certification as from 2014. Will Rega’s credibility not suffer as a result? No. We have decided not to renew ZEWO certification be- cause it has never been right for Rega. Rega is not and never has been a traditional aid organisation. Over the past years, we have always walked a fine line between extending and not extending certification. The Foundation Board Executive Committee made the decision unanimously after lengthy discussion. Rega will still be subject to strict accounting standards and publish a trans- parent Annual Report. We have always been a transparent organisation and will remain so in the future. You say that Rega is not a traditional aid organisation. What is it then? Rega is not an aid organisation that is based on voluntary work. It is one of the most modern and efficient air-rescue organisations in the world. It costs Swiss taxpayers nothing at all, and every single franc of the patronage contributions we receive is reinvested in professional air-rescue services. Rega does not have a choice. As long as safety is not compro- Ulrich Graf Ulrich Graf was born on 16 May 1945 in Winterthur. He is married and mised, Rega’s task is to serve the Swiss population, 365 days has two grown-up children. a year and 24 hours a day, by getting medical assistance to the scene of the accident in the shortest possible time. After gaining his Matura diploma at grammar school, he studied electrical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He subsequently became Technical Director at Procalor AG in Zurich, before Rega is supported by a large number of patrons. moving to Bauer Kaba in 1976, where he held the position of CEO at several How has this developed in recent years? of the Group’s companies. In 1984, Ulrich Graf was appointed member of The trend shows that the Swiss people are very satisfied with the Executive Management and in 1989, member of the Board of Directors Rega. For many years now, there has been a net increase in of Kaba Holding AG in Rümlang. From 1990 to 2006, he was CEO and Delegate to the Board of Directors, and became Chairman in 2006. patron numbers of over 50,000 per annum, and we are set to reach the 2.5 million mark this year. The growth in patronage Other positions include: Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dätwyler Holding AG (CH); Griesser Holding AG (CH); Member of the Board is an important indicator of our performance. of Directors, Georg Fischer AG, (CH); Sauter AG (CH), Feller AG (CH); Member of the Presidential Council, Dekra e.V. (DE). Following the various negative headlines during In 1966, Ulrich Graf qualified as a military pilot and flew various types the summer news slump, are you worried that patronage of aircraft and helicopters for the Swiss Air Force. Between 1988 and 1995, figures will fall? he commanded the 2nd Air Transport Squadron and subsequently served No. What counts is that we provide a high standard of ser- as Head of Air Transport Operations. He is still active as a pilot today and vice in the interests of our patrons and the Swiss population. maintains close links with the aviation world. This is how we are measured, and at no point in time has this Since 2001,Ulrich Graf has been a member of the Rega Foundation Board, been questioned. The quality of the service we provide is our which appointed him Chairman as of 1 January 2012. highest priority. That will not change. Rega will continue to Question time 5 prove to its patrons that they are absolutely right to put their they know that in an emergency Rega will be there. This trust in us. manner of thinking is simply not tenable in the long term, and it is detrimental to quality. Competition, yes. But only on Criticism has also been voiced about salary levels. a level playing field. Does Rega pay its staff too much? As a modern air rescue organisation with a team of highly What do you mean by “a level playing field”? qualified specialists, Rega must measure up to other, com - The established and accepted standards in modern-day air mercial employers.